For Lucroy, O'Brien, pro baseball dreams started in FCSL

Peter O'Brien is one of 231 FCSL players to sign a contract with a Major League Baseball team, either as a draft pick or free agent, during the league's decade of existence.

CHRIS BOYLESTAFF WRITER

DELAND — Peter O'Brien said there are two periods of his life that most helped him on his path to a professional baseball career — his transition from a sophomore to a junior in high school and the period in between his first two years in college.

During the summer of 2009, O'Brien, fresh off completing his first season at Bethune-Cookman, decided to participate in the Florida Collegiate Summer League.

Though he played roughly every other day, O'Brien got the chance to learn both on and off the field.

“It was great competition, and the coaching staff in that league was awesome,” said O'Brien, who played under current Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson. “I can't say how much I learned from him, not only physically from the game, but most important, mentally.”

Selected by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Entry Draft, O'Brien is one of 231 FCSL players to sign a contract with a MLB team, either as a draft pick or free agent, during the league's decade of existence.

The FCSL, a non-profit corporation primarily dependent upon donations from individuals, businesses and foundations in Central Florida communities, also benefits largely due to partial funding from MLB.

The league has six teams — the DeLand Suns, the Orlando Monarchs, the Sanford River Rats, the College Park Freedom, the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs and the Leesburg Lightning. FCSL president Rob Sitz indicated the league may expand from its traditional five-to-six team format.

Professional scouts attend the majority of league games, according to Sitz. Anywhere from 20 to 30 scouts are expected for Saturday's Southeast Collegiate Prospect Showcase at Conrad Park.

Each year, Sitz said the affiliation with MLB, along with minimal travel and quality facilities, consistently attracts some of the top talent in the region.

“I would say (the talent level) is very strong,'' Sitz said. "This year in the draft, we had 11 guys in the top 10 rounds get drafted.

“Compare that to the Valley League, which had three guys in the top 10 rounds, and they have twice as many players as we do on a yearly basis.”

Four players — Jonathan Lucroy, Dee Gordon, Corey Brown and Mike McClendon — have all made it to the big leagues for at least one game.

Lucroy, who played for the River Rats and the Diamond Dawgs, was picked in the third round of the 2007 MLB Entry Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. A veteran of 372 MLB games, the Eustis native gained quality wood-bat experience while in the FCSL.

“It definitely prepared me for pro ball, as far as hitting with a wood bat,” said Lucroy, who is hitting .274 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs for the Brewers this season. “Wood bats give you immediate feedback whether you can hit the ball hard, so it's a very good thing to learn from.”

Proximity played a major role in both the decisions of O'Brien and Lucroy — both catchers — to join the FCSL.

Lucroy would play games at night after attending summer school classes at Lake Sumter Community College in Leesburg. O'Brien commuted to and from DeLand from his dorm room at Bethune-Cookman.

But both players agree their time in the league has taken them exactly where they wanted to go.

“Summer baseball, it's really all up to you on how hard you want to work and how much better you want to get,” O'Brien said. “It's pretty much playing every day, maybe one day off each week. That really gets you ready to play every day and lets you kind of know your body and what you need to do to get ready.”